... more expensive cost-plus style contracts that would keep billions of NASA dollars flowing to their constituencies...

... Knowing that the Obama Administration considered Commercial Crew the most important of those projects, the politicians (of both parties) essentially issued the ultimatum, “SLS or no Commercial Crew.” This devil’s bargain recently led former NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver to proclaim, “…Congress forced our hand on SLS. They could make us do it, but can’t make me believe we should.”

How did all of this Congressional conniving give Vladimir Putin more clout he can use against the US?...

... SLS gives even more benefits to Russia. The first American Commercial Crew flight to ISS has been pushed back from 2015 to 2017 because, year after year, the program received less money than NASA has requested. By contrast, Congress gave SLS more funding than NASA requested during each of those years. That’s two extra years of American taxpayer money going to the Russians that did not have to happen...

To my mind, that all sounds very corrupt and horribly wasteful all round, all to the detriment of Science and Space Exploration...

Keep searchin',
MartinSee new freedom: Mageia5
See & try out for yourself: Linux Voice
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Wow. I dont know what to say. Idiots we elected is the best I can come up with.
No vision, No idea what the future is about. Its about what they can get. I just wonder how much backroom dealing went on. [/quote]

Doesn't it say in the article that this is basically done by people in congress who have factories or businesses in their congressional districts that work on this project? So basically they do this so they can go back to their district and tell the people that they kept those businesses alive?

Thats one of the main reasons why the army is still getting equipment it doesn't want, and its how they tried to make the F-22 Raptor politically immortal.